doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Skeet Shooting with your SXS?

Those Federal top guns are just fine in a Browning Super and even boomers like Remington Express are no problem. I see very little reason to shoot low pressure loads in a Super. They are built tough and are excellent and fine guns IMHO.

The reason I don't put 5,000 skeet rounds through my vintage SxS's each summer is "WEAR." The locking mechanism will probably loosen, or a small trigger part/sear will be slightly diminished, a spring may break, etc. Its much easier to find a repair part for a Citori than it is for an older Lefever or Ansley Fox.

My opinion is that we act as custodians for these old SxS's and they will eventually pass on to new owners. I see no point in over-using a vintage gun while I am its temporary caretaker.

On the other hand, most hunting days afield involve only a half-dozen shots, so "wear" isnt a real issue.

This week end I will be shooting skeet with a Baker 16ga. and a M21 Tournament Skeet in 12ga. Am very much looking forward to it!

Here is my favorite skeet gun. If it wears out before me, (unlikely) I will have it rebuilt. Been shooting it for 30 years. A Grade 3E NID with grade 5 wood, 26 inch barrels. It has a set of 32 inch barrels but I have other trap guns. I have never felt a disadvantage using a SxS. Shoot low gun at all stations.

I've been enjoying shooting my 1880's (+/-) "duality" hammer gun as my dedicated skeet gun for a few months now. 26" cyl/cyl damascus, and I average about 23 with it. It feels good to shoot decently with such an old functional work of art, and the comments I get are fun too. I generally shoot Rio subsonic skeet loads in it just to be kind to it.

Mark,

While I can't say I am a fan of painting the stocks, I will say that you do beautiful work. The detail in your work is amazing!

The gun in your post would have to be kept out of sight at our club though. We have over 60 junior members from the local High School Shotgun Team. They have kids on the team from 5th grade on up to 12th grade. I'd have to send you to the least field at the club where the kids don't shoot. I can just hear the comments from some of the team mothers.

I was talking to a competition trap shot once and he mentioned he was shooting Skeet the day before, because his coach thought it was going to cure one of his regular misses. I aksed him how well he did, and he said 20, 22. "Wait a moment", I said, "Are you telling me you did a 22 on Skeet with your 32" Full and Fuller Perazzi?" And he said "Yup, but I admit I was shooting high gun". - "Anyway", I said, "I thought it's impossible to hit anything at Skeet with a Full-choked barrel". "Let me tell you something" - he said - "If you can shoot, and the gun doesn't misfit you real bad, you can shoot 20-22 average with occasional 25 at any clay game with any gun, any choke, any load, any stock. It's getting a consistent 95+ that requires a dedicated gun"

Re "wear" on vintage guns . . . Many of the American classics were overbuilt to start with, American gunmakers recognizing that we tend to treat them as tools rather than objects of art--especially true of the field grades. As for vintage British guns, if they're ejectors of a decent grade, they may well have seen use in driven shooting. I've shot driven birds in Scotland the last two years, using an average of just under 250 shells/trip (3 driven days, 1 rough day)--which is likely more shells than most upland hunters will shoot at wild birds in a season or two. Loads appropriate to vintage guns, but at 1 or 1 1/16 oz, both heavier and higher velocity than what I shoot at targets (7/8 oz at skeet, mixture of 7/8 and 1 oz, sporting clasys).

It's obviously a personal choice, but I think we may worry too much about what we're doing to our older guns by using them for a fair amount of target shooting--especially if we're shooting low pressure, low velocity, light shot charge loads. On the other hand, if we're shooting WalMart Special loads--and in many vintage guns, we shouldn't be shooting any American factory stuff anyhow--then it's wise to use more modern guns.

Adam,

I shoot skeet with all types of guns. I have some nice Skeet O/Us (Winchester 101, SKB 600, and Nikko 812), but I greatly enjoy shooting with SxSs and well - many of those Japanese guns I've posted. Most recently, I got a Midlands SxS (English) that I really enjoy shooting. At our club a young son was beating his dad by shooting with a 410 lever action - LOVED it. So, I think what ever you like to shoot and hunt with and what works for you is good.